John William Baier's
_Compendium of Positive Theology_
Edited by C. F. W. Walther
Published by:
St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1877
[Translator's Preface. These are the major loci or topics of
John William Baier's _Compendium of Positive Theology_ as ed-
ited by Dr. C. F. W. Walther. These should be seen as the
broad outline of Baier-Walther's dogmatics, but please don't
assume that this is all. Each locus usually includes copious
explanatory notes and citations from patristics and other
Lutheran dogmaticians.]
Chapter Ten
On baptism.
1. Among the two New Testament sacraments baptism holds the prior
place.
2. The principal efficient cause of baptism is Christ, who not
alone but one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, determined what
pertains to the founding of baptism, and truly also ordered that
the rite was to be done frequently, and it leads back to the
efficient fruit for the conferring of salvation.
3. The impulsive internal cause is the divine goodness; the external
cause is the merit of Christ the mediator.
4. The lesser principal efficient cause ordinarily is the minister
of the church; extraordinarily in cases of necessity also a layman
or woman.
5. The material of baptism is true and natural water, and the act
of washing, which either by immersing or by sprinkling, is able
once or by three persons.
6. The form of baptism is the word of institution or that he is
washed in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
7. The end to which, which is also the subject of baptism, are
humans carnally born and brought forth into the light; and these
all, males equally and females; not only adults, but truly also
infants.
8. Meanwhile we believe the infants of believing parents, as it
happened by private baptism, by an extraordinary grace of God to
be reborn and saved; however we do not commit the infants of the
unbelieving to baptism by divine judgement, and not indeed do we
dare to snatch away those from unwilling parents through force
and thus to baptize.
9. The end of which, which is also the effect of baptism, the
nearer is the regeneration or renewal of those being baptized;
the farther is their eternal salvation.
10. However, this, which touches the nearer end, occurs in
diversity, in respect to diverse subjects. For to all infants
indeed equally through baptism faith is first conferred and sealed,
through which the merit of Christ is applied to them. Truly to
those adults , who received faith from the word before the
undertaking of baptism, baptism seals and confirms them. Not only
now, when it has been undertaken, but also after, and through all
life, by faith efficiently it brings forth the confirming of faith
and the further renewal.
11. To the signifying efficiencey of baptism, by which infants are
transferred from the power of satan into spiritual liberty, the
ancient rite of exorcism, with the sign of the cross and by the
vowed renouncing of satan, while indeed indifferent, yet, rightly
it is observed, how it is also for the designated covenant of grace,
because the baptized enter into it with God, the sponsors or
godparents are joined to the pious rite.
12. Baptism once having been conferred according to the institution
of God ought not to be repeated to the same subject.
13. Baptism is able to be defined, that it is a sacred action
instituted by God, in which humans without discrimination of sex or
age are washed with water in the name of the Father, and the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, so that they they are regenerated and renewed,
which is the cause of the following eternal salvation.
_________________________________.__________________________________
This text was translated by Rev. Theodore Mayes and is copyrighted
material, (c)1996, but is free for non-commercial use or distribu-
tion, and especially for use on Project Wittenberg. Please direct
any comments or suggestions to: Rev. Robert E. Smith of the Walther
Library at Concordia Theological Seminary.
E-mail: smithre@mail.ctsfw.edu
Surface Mail: 66000 N. Clinton St., Ft. Wayne, IN 46825 USA
Phone: (260) 452-2123 Fax: (260) 452-2126
_________________________________.__________________________________
file: /pub/resources/text/wittenberg/baier: cpt-1-10.txt
.